Johannes Gutenberg has been described as an engineer, a scholar, and an entrepreneur.  I believe it was those three driving characteristics that fueled his desire to create something that was unique, brilliant in design and that added value to his community.

The revolutionary creation of movable type provided the method by which a mass communication would take place.  Scholars argue that it was the Gutenberg’s press that ushered in the Renaissance era, an era that at the core was a cultural shift and a resurgence of learning.  Had Gutenberg created the original Wordpress?

Interesting enough is the fact that the single letters were assembled in a rectangular box and then placed in what some historians believe was a press influenced by the wine presses in the German region where Gutenberg lived.

Without trying to make too much of a correlation to the communication era we are living in now and the communication revolution of the 14^th century, is it possible that we might be in a Gutenberg moment?  Over the last 500 hundred years, we have gone from a one-to-one form of communication to a one-to-many form of distribution of information to now a mass-to-mass distribution of information driven by individuals.

Have we stumbled upon this moment not realizing the significance? Have we, by adding 140 characters to tiny rectangles linking to world changing events, unknowingly participated in a cultural shift once again? Have we rearranged the letters and symbols in such a way that a new mobile type has dawned?

Speaking from my own experience, I would have to answer, yes!  I have been engulfed by this social wave and experienced the passion of learning new things based on the timeless categories of relationships, life, and purpose.

Every day I find new blogs, updates on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, pictures on Flickr and videos on YouTube all making unique expressions, some beautiful in design and each adding value to a global community.

Recently I was asked to compare a few of the current Twitter client applications on the Social Web.  Of course there are several blog reviews about each of these applications on sites like Social Media Today, Mashable, and others.  The point of my post is to specifically look through the lens of which client application provides the most features related to SocialCRM (Social Customer Relationship Management).  There are five free multi Twitter account client application contenders in this space: CoTweet, HootSuite, PeopleBrowsr, Seesmic, and Tweetdeck.

CoTweet is a solid and simple web-based solution with scheduling features, but currently cannot link to any other social channels such as Facebook or Linkedin.  You can assign Twitter followers to other CoTweet users which would be useful in a customer service environment.  There is an area to add notes on a specific Twitter profile as well as view number of followers/following and previous conversations.  Two small features missing are the capabilities to mark Twitter profile as VIP, or linking identified Twitter profiles to Plaxo.  CoTweet users can sync a Bit.ly account for tracking Tweet click throughs, but that is as far as it goes with regards to tweet analytics.

HootSuite also a web-based solution multi Twitter account client application.  HootSuite offers Twitter and Facebook update sync through Ping.fm (this can feed other social channels if you wish) and you can schedule tweets for both channels.  However, the URL shortner Ow.ly has some resistance in the Social Web community because of the annoying banner across the page when visitors click through.  The benefit to HootSuite Ow.ly URL shortener provides click through analytics within the application.  Similar missing features as in CoTweet is the ability to add notes, mark as VIP contact, or link to other social media networks.

PeopleBrowsr is a power house application on Adobe AIR or as a web-based application.  Don’t bother with the AIR app: stick with the Browser version.  In Business mode, users can click on a Twitter avatar in the tweet stream and select from various activity functions such as Follow, Favorite, Group, Note, VIP, Email, Plaxo, and Rate.  PeopleBrowsr provides users the ability to schedule tweets for multiple social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Plaxo and FriendFeed just to name a few.  This multiple social network feed is something that no other social client application can do. The only drawback to PeopleBrowsr is that they have the Twitter API on their server which results in a slight lag in the update columns, however users have a small chance of reaching the 150 API limit on PeopleBrowsr causing application crash.  (Note: When scheduling tweets to Twitter and Facebook, the associated Facebook account will automatically update where as the Twitter tweet will go out as scheduled.)

Seesmic is a leader in the Adobe AIR and web-based client applications, but still lacks the fundamental elements needed in a Social CRM tool.  The most recent update has caused many users to go back to TweetDeck.  I have had several friends report that it crashes more often than before the update. Seesmic will address these issues in their next update.  Seesmic and TweetDeck both offer iPhone applications for mobile users.

TweetDeck is on top of the Twitter client AIR applications right now and is one of my favorites.  Many people don’t realize that it offers multiple account management as well as a Facebook integration.  Keyword searches and unlimited tabs can be useful in tracking brand mentions.  Unfortunately, TweetDeck doesn’t offer tweet scheduling, notes, or tweet rating capabilities.

My goal was to outline the pros and cons of some of the free Twitter client applications available for individuals, small business, and non-profits.  Leveraging the information contained in the real-time social streams is a valuable asset to small businesses.  Listening for mentions of your own brand as well as that of your competitor is a best practice of business growth 2010.  Stop shooting in the dark. There is an application that’s right for your business.  What is the most important Twitter client application feature that suits your needs?

The first time I was exposed to Texas Hold’em was in the late 90s. I remember watching the movie Rounders with Matt Damon; instantly, I was hooked on both. I enjoy playing Texas Hold’em for entertainment. I have it on my iPod and on my Facebook page. Zynga’s Texas Hold’em is the number one game application on Facebook. Players play with virtual money in casinos from Boston to Barcelona. Zynga understands that it’s not just about playing the game, it’s about where you play and who you play with that adds excitement.

Zynga Texas Holdem for Facebook

One of the things I like about watching The World Series of Poker on ESPN is the player hand percentage of winning. Although those percentages can change with the flip of one card, knowing the percentages is a strategy many players employ.

Right now Social Media is a fluid and daily changing river of digital channels. New start-ups are entering the social wars every day. Knowing which ones will make it to the river can be a risky bet. One of the ace of spades in social bookmarking  is StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon was founded in 2001 and was purchased by eBay in May 2007, until April 2009, when two of the founders, backed by investors, bought it back.

In June of 2009, StumbleUpon showed its cards introducing Su.pr a powerful URL Shorten tool. With combined Twitter and Facebook integration, Su.pr providers quick bookmarking that can be linked to Twitter accounts and/or Facebook accounts to let others know what sites you have stumbled upon. The ability to schedule updates as well as a simple dashboard to track the clicks per update allows Su.pr users to know what tweets are most popular. It’s like knowing the percentages for the winning social poker hand.

Social Web Tool Su.pr

“Su.pr’s analytics are similar to those that fellow UR shortening service bit.ly provides, except that Su.pr is connected to website discovery service Stumbleupon, which gives each link an extra distribution push. Links can be voted upon by the StumbleUpon community (which the platform estimates as 8 million users), and if it becomes popular the link can become viral. For StumbleUpon, Su.pr is a way to seed the service with links people are already pushing out to their real-time streams.” TechCrunch July 8, 2009

Stacking Social Web Tools Twitter and Facebook

The completion just beat you to the Twinish line! Twitter isn’t the latest tech trend or online fad.  Twitter has fundamentally changed the way information is distributed.  Real-time information is the core value of Twitter.  Twitter delivers more real-time information than any other web source.  However, there is some question to the factuality of the information.  Rumors that Natalie Portman and Jeff Goldblum had died were false due to Twitter hackers. Nonetheless, the reports came first from Twitter, but even those false accusations caused people to search Google to see if more info was being released giving additional exposure to those individuals.  Negative exposure is exposure.

Twitter spread the news around the Iran presidential race faster than CNN. It also spread the first news about Michael Jackson’s death before it hit any news or Hollywood studios.  I realize you may think Twitter is ridiculous, but there is more to it than what I ate for lunch.

Companies are beginning to connect the data stream of information on Twitter and are parsing it into valuable information related to their particular market segment.  StockTwits is an open, community-powered investment idea and information service that is build on top of Twitter. You can think of it as Bloomberg for the little guy and gal. You can eavesdrop on what traders and investors are talking about RIGHT NOW or contribute to the conversation and build your reputation and following as a savvy market wizard.

Small tech-savvy businesses are leveraging the real-time information stream to listen to their competitors, to listen to conversations about their industry and to engage in new forms of social customer service.

Looking at who is and who isn’t on Twitter is one of the trends I find intriguing. In Tallahassee, my local market some examples would be: Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is but Capital Regional Medical isn’t.  Subway is but Quiznos isn’t.  Mellow Mushroom Pizza is but Red Elephant isn’t. This list can go on and on. The bottom line is this, if you’re not on Twitter your competition is.

Here are some links to getting started on Twitter. Some are for gaining followers; others are for listening for your brand mentions. There are over 150 different tools to accomplish your Twitter goals. Even if you have to get out of the media wreck you are in now, run to the Twinish line today.

• What is Twitter?
• Twitter Video Tutorials
• What is a retweet?
• How can I customize my Twitter background?
• What is a #hashtag?
• How can I build my personal brand on Twitter?
• Twitter terms to know

• Finding a job using Twitter
• Twitter tips for executives
• Twitter best practices for brands
• 40 of the best big brands on Twitter
• Using Twitter for customer service
• The media maker’s guide to Twitter

• What is #followfriday?
• Twitter user directories
• How do I find Twitter users in my town?
• Why aren’t people following me?
• What to do when you’ve followed too many people
• What’s a tweetup?

• Tools for organizing your Twitter community
• Twitter from your iPhone
• Managing multiple Twitter accounts

• Sharing music on Twitter
• Sharing video on Twitter
• Sharing images on Twitter
• Get your questions answered on Twitter

This list was comprised using the @Mashable incredible Twitter Guide Book! Good luck and I will see you on Twitter @TallyDigitalBiz

The traditional business to customer model has been altered dramatically over the last 18 months due to emerging social technologies (Video).  One-way communicating and shotgun media blasts are being ignored and blocked by audiences in every market segment.  From XM Radio, iTunes, Hulu, TiVo, RSS Readers and On-Demand Programming, the consumer has taken over the channels and the remote control.  Businesses are faced with the challenge of how to reach their target audience.  It is the “reach” perspective that is blinding their ability to adapt to the evolution of the new customer demands.

Corporate brainstorming sessions centered on the question, how we “reach” new customers is a complete waste of time, energy and resources.  The new question is:  How can we “meet” our consumers in their environment to learn how they think, feel and use our products or services?  The new business strategy of “social customer engagement” is the core of SocialCRM.

Over the last couple of decades, focus groups were the cutting edge method of learning how customers think and feel about a company’s products or services.  The setup of focus groups was wrong from the start.  With two-way mirrors and a third party facilitator, organizations sat on the other side in a dimly lit room hiding from their customers.  Under the guise of wanting honest comments, were they simply afraid to face the good, the bad and the ugly about how people felt about their product?  Corporate culture had handicapped companies abilities to have an honest conversation with people.

Regardless of the corporate culture impairment, the public is talking about their experiences with a company or their products.  They talk through text messages, 140 character status updates and tweets.  Companies like BestBuy, Comcast and JetBlue are just a few companies who are braving the Social Media waters and finding a sea of information.  Not only are they listening to what is being said by using social technology, but they are responding and acting on those status updates and tweets.  These progressive organizations are learning the new rules of SocialCRM.

Rcently there was a SocialCRM conference in Boston attended by several hundred people while an even larger group attended the event through streaming video and instant chat.  Representatives from large companies and social technologies formed a panel to discuss the impacts of Social Media and social customer engagement strategies. CLICK HERE to view a thread of the comments from that event.

So how does your business get started with SocialCRM through customer engagement strategies?

Search – Do a Google search on your company or product name.  Look for forums, groups or blogs where community participation is already being used by your customers.

Listen – Don’t jump into the conversation and try to defend your product. Don’t try to explain why you are right and they are wrong.

Respond – Ask questions to gain further clarity of comments or complaints.

Act – Make contact with those who are positive influencers of your brand and find out how to empower them to continue their advocacy of your brand.

Repeat – Search, Listen, Respond, Act

The Rules have changed, the new SocialCRM

Is your business leveraging the information contained in social media sites relevant to your current clients and future prospects?  Most business have an internal data management system that records client transactions.  More sophisticated databases combine transactions and client interactions such as inbound and outbound emails or associated historical document  and merges them into a client profile.

SocialCRM Facebook Page

These information rich databases are the digital assets of a business. SugarCRM is just one example of a web-based or on-demand customer relationship management tool used by successful businesses.

Many businesses use these CRM databases to forecast future business growth, to obtain client comments related to service experiences, or to market new products or services.  However, this information exchange is limited in scope due to natural barriers within internal communications.

Do people really say what they feel when a customer service representative calls?  Would they speak freely as they would with a friend or coworker about how they were treated?  For some reason, people have no problem saying exactly how they feel on their Facebook page.

Businesses are beginning to understand that their best and worst clients are speaking about their experiences everyday through digital voices.  Relying on postage paid comment cards isn’t going to get the job done anymore.  Whether it is a status update on Facebook, a tweet on Twitter, or through a comment on a blog post, people like to talk about their experience.  SocialCRM and customer service are two sides of the same coin.  Try a Google search with the name of your company and add the word sucks or great. You might be surprised at the results.  Proactive business may use Google Alerts to stay informed in regards to positive or negative digital feedback indexed on Google.

SocialCRM Twitter Account

In addition to Google Alerts, some progressive companies are listening to comments made on Twitter.  Whether by using the Twitter search tool or by using Tweetdeck, companies are tracking keywords directly or indirectly about their business.

All of the tracking in the world doesn’t make any difference unless you do something about it.  Some companies simply try to have negative comments or posts removed from sites, which is almost impossible if it goes viral.

Within minutes, one post or video can spread through hundreds of websites.  Many company policy and procedure manuals are being rewritten as a result of these new channels of communication.  Not only is it comments from clients, but it is also comments from employees surfacing on the web.

Evidently, a lot of people are really bored out of their minds at work.  People are being fired over tweets and status updates.

It is evident that companies are afraid of what they can’t control.  The reaction of many companies is to block social media sites altogether, but at what expense?

What if there was a way to encourage the use of social media in the work place?

What if the channels were built in to the way business did business day to day?

Yes, it would require additional training and responsibility.  The way society interacts is changing. Why wouldn’t our business communication models change too?

Who is the catalyst for change in your organization?

Is the Marketing Manger the one to initiate the change?

Is it the Customer Service Manager?

Is it the Chief Executive Officer?

Whoever is the person to bring about fundamental change in your organization, they need to have access to the information and tools in order to make change happen.

If you need help convincing senior management that SocialCRM is essential, here is a great video.

Imagine combining the information from Facebook profiles and Twitter updates and merging that data into your CRM tool.

How might that information be helpful in maintaining the best relationship with your clients? How might that information be used to provide relevant product or service recommendations to your future clients? How might your customer service agents benefit from knowing in advance the concerns of your less than satisfied customers?

LinkedIn Profile for SocialCRM

The information contained in a LinkedIn profile reads like an online resume.  Current and previous employer, level of education, hobbies, plus business contacts are included.  Think about the possibilities of leveraging that information to make personalized portfolio suggestions to your clients.

Imagine the possibilities of developing marketing plans that deliver custom content based on social media profiles.  The effectiveness of a campaign built around a client’s preferences, this is the goal of every marketing manager.

Few campaigns are successful because they lack the raw data to really understand how the client feels about your products.  Those feelings are now being expressed in 140 characters and can be indexed to better understand the true client to business relationship.

It’s time to set aside the fear of the unknown and put away all the excuses.  It’s time to fully engage your clients.  It’s time to empower your staff to listen, communicate, and energize your client relationships.

Creating your own SocialCRM Development Team:

• Begin by making a list of people you trust to speak on behalf of your organization.
• Select a small group of employees with great communication skills.
• Be ready to identify your biggest fans and find ways to build equity in their personal branding.
• Develop a process or workflow based on company name, products, or services mentioned in social media sites.
• Create your company branded Twitter account
• Create your company branded Facebook Page (Difference between Fan Pages and Group Pages)
• Set up Listening Dashboard – Tweetmeme , TweetGrid , Twitscoop
• Set up SocialCRM plugin – GetSocial
• Select other Social Media tools (35 Social Media Tools)

Research shows that companies who have a company branded social media site have greater client interaction than those who do not.  This requires a shift in marketing philosophy altogether.  The shift is from talking to people about your company to people talking about your company to others.

Building a 3D client view with SocialCRM is not limited to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles.  Imagine what happens when you turn the SocialCRM cube 90 degrees.  I’ll save that for another post.  I hope this article has sparked your thoughts about the future of CRM and Social Media.  I would love to hear your comments or feedback on what’s working for you or where the SocialCRM processes are breaking down.  Is it technology? Is it policy? Is it people?

SocialCRM for Small Business

Today I was asked to write an article for Social850.com discussing the topic of Facebook pages for Tallahassee small businesses.  The topic centered around Fan Pages vs. Group Pages.

In March of 2009, Facebook made a few changes to the structure of their site impacting the differences between Fan Pages and Group Pages.  The core change was how people can suggest or promote their pages.  I hope this post helps to define when to use a Fan Page versus a Group Page.

FAN Pages:

Indexed by Google – Fan Pages are indexed by Google providing SEO benefits for any business looking to grow their digital footprint.

Adding Applications – Fan Pages allow the use of adding Applications or widgets that can enhance the user interaction with Fans and a Business.  A complete list of applications can be found in the Facebook Application Directory.

Strategic Updates – Fan Page updates can be sent by age, gender and location by text with hyperlinks included.

Homepage Streaming Messages – Fan Page updates will show as notifications on a fan’s homepage, but also will display as a status update in the friend stream on the homepage.

Facebook Insights – Internal Facebook system providing metrics for number of fans, unique visitors, number of reviews and total interactions.

Suggest to Friends – This new feature allows Fans to send a message to friends to suggest becoming a Fan.  This was a key feature change in March making Fan pages more viral.

Group Pages:

Group participation – Group pages can be Open, Closed, or Secret offering various levels of participation.

Bulk Invitations – Group pages can send bulk emails to friends inviting to become a member.

Threaded Conversations – Group pages offer conversations in a threaded format providing for a more organized process of publishing information about certain topics or issues.

Officers – Groups pages allow the addition of offices which can be a measure of goodwill or just for community building fun.

Not indexed by search engines.

No Applications can be used to enhance page.

Summary

Facebook Pages are primarily used to promote businesses, non-profits, celebrities and artists to Facebook users.  Facebook states that “only the official representative of an artist, business, or brand may create a Facebook Page.” In other words, Pages are intended to be an “official” web page for your organization on Facebook.

Facebook Groups can be created by anyone interested in promoting and organizing people around a specific interests or cause. All members of a group have the ability to contribute content that appears on the Group’s wall – photos, videos, discussion threads.

If you have already created a Group page and want to create a Fan page, it’s not too late.  In fact, you can send a bulk message to your Group to let them know and urge them to become a Fan! Before you make your Fan page, here is an article on The Five Elements of a Sucessful Facebook Fan Page.

Facebook Fan Page for Tallahassee Small Business using Social Media

If the phrase “information is the new currency” was used to describe the emergence of technology in the late ’90s, then “social media is the new debit card” is the phrase for business 2010.    I use my debit card for just about every transaction.  Large or small it really doesn’t matter.  My bank doesn’t charge me a minimum fee for using it (although some places do).  Annoying! At the end of the day I can look at my online banking statement and see a real-time activity journal.  My weekly journal consists of visits to coffee shops, lunch expenditures, along with trips to Publix, Winn Dixie and Wal-Mart.  Anytime a transaction is made and I use my debit card, a record is created.  By looking at my online bank statements, one might be able to glean how I feel about spending money at the places I frequent during the week.

A similar assessment might be taken in regards to activities and conversations within social media.  Thousands and thousands of updates about experiences at coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores are posted everyday.  Each of those updates/comments are recorded and posted on blogs, walls and message boards.  These digital logs are a new kind of online account statement.  Each update is an informational transaction.  The insight that could be learned by these digital statements could result in valuable assessments for a company that was paying attention.

Recently, I was preparing a Social Media proposal for a new client who requested case studies to be included in the documentation.  I came across hundreds of studies.  Surprisingly, this kind of market research has been circulating since 2005.  Everyday the conversation of how do businesses engage in social media arises, to which I reply, it’s never too late to join the conversation.  I always recommend listening and observing as a starting point.

If you are in charge of marketing at your company or you are the owner of a small business and need more convincing that Social Media is a viable means to grow your business, I am including some of the case study websites that I have found extremely helpful in attempting to reconcile the online statements of social media.

Case Studies

35 Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action

Word Of Mouth Marketing Association – Comprehensive Case Study Library

Groundswell by Forrester Research – 65 Corporate examples and 25 full case studies

Social Media Statements Tallahassee

If you haven’t met Biz Stone, you are in for a treat.  He’s a down to earth guy, who happens to be a genius.  Biz is the Co-founder of Twitter and also helped make Xanga, Blogger, Odeo, and Obvious. He has published two books about social media and have a more professional profile on LinkedIn.  Here is a recent interview with Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch.

There is a second part to the interview over at TechCrunch and it is worth checking out too! Visit TechCrunch

How many people contemplate their comprehensive insurance policy or the diversity of their financial portfolio on the way to the bathroom? Why is the community bulletin board still a viable media channel for advertising? As an advertiser, you are gambling that everyone that visits that establishment will visit the restrooms. Is this cutting edge media placement?

Do you really expect someone to grab your card off the cork board on their way into the powder room? Have you ever had someone call you and say, “Yeah, I got your card off the bathroom wall at ______ and I was wondering if…” Does that really work? I guess if you want to take a shotgun blast in the dark that’s one strategy.

I love Sprint’s idea of media placement. You’re sitting in the theater getting ready to watch a movie and the trailers are showing. The next trailer is about a monkey trying to negotiate director credits and theme song input with the movie producers. The punch line is: “It takes many calls to make a movie, but only one to ruin it. Please turn off your cell phone.” Brilliant. The message is creative and the delivery is relevant. Nice job, Sprint.

As a local business, you don’t have to have a Sprint size budget to craft relevant, creative messages. Social media channels are becoming one of the largest growing communication methods. The traditional media placement questions are who, where, and when to send your message.  In social media, the question is how does your message interact with the audience? Unlike the intrusions of traditional advertising, relevant messages can be engaged with people who are already talking about that specific topic or interest.

A couple of things to consider when interacting inside social media channels:

Remember, it’s social – All business and no play is no fun! Social media is a two-way communication channel. Keep that in mind and put away the bullhorn strategy. Social media is like being invited to a global cocktail party; there are plenty of opportunities to connect.

Listen before you speak – Before you jump into a conversation, it’s always good to make sure you’re on topic. (ex: Tweetdeck, Google Alerts, BlogPulse, and Trendrr) Take at least 30 days to monitor the tone and volume of your topic of conversation.

Give good directions – If you are expecting for people to follow you, make sure you know where you are going. If your updates are about business and money, don’t have them click on a blog site about rubber chickens. Just because you don’t carry it or offer it, doesn’t mean you can’t help point someone in the right direction. Pay it forward is socially correct.

Be creative –Many companies are using blogs/micro-sites as landing pages rather than linking to boring institutional corporate sites. This web strategy allows for flexibility and niche specific content within a large or small scale product line or service industry.

Talking with the right people at the right time with the right message is possible. Listening to the conversation is the best way to stumble into your biggest fans. The alternative is to place your business card on the cork board on the way to the bathroom. Let me know how that works for you.

Branding Social Media in Tallahassee?